1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an exercise system and more specifically it relates to an adjustable exercise system for adjusting an exercise machine such as a Pilates machine between various angles of incline with respect to a fixed base to allow for a wider range of exercises.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
In 1912 England, Joseph Pilates worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. At the outbreak of World War I, Pilates was interned in a detention camp as an “alien enemy”. While interned, Pilates refined his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against spring resistance, an innovation that led to his ultimate development of what is known today as a Pilates apparatus.
Reflecting their hospital bed origin, Pilates apparatuses are generally comprised of a rectangular, horizontal base structure with parallel rails aligned with the major axis of the rectangular structure, and a sliding carriage thereupon that is attached to one end of the structure by springs or elastic bands that produce a resistance bias. Sliding the carriage away from the end of the apparatus to which the resistance means is attached creates a workload against which therapeutic exercises can be safely and beneficially performed.
Today, the Pilates method is divided into two philosophical camps. One group follows the classic Pilates method using the apparatus originally specified by Joseph Pilates. The second group follows a more modernized version of the Pilates method. The second group uses more contemporary Pilates apparatuses that incorporate various accessories to increase the scope and breadth of exercises that can be performed on the apparatus. These accessories typically include such devices as small-weighted balls, foam rollers, handlebars, large exercise balls, rotating disks, and resistance bands.
In today's on-the-go society, more adults are pursuing an active lifestyle, the results of which are an inherent increase in activity related injuries, and/or surgical procedures to repair degenerating joints or injuries in order to return to that active lifestyle. In cases where the modern Pilates apparatus is used as a central component of physical rehabilitation, many of the accessories available for the modern reformer apparatus are intended to support physiotherapy to accelerate post-operative healing, or to aid in the normal recovery process.
On the other hand, in the gym and body-building world, manufacturers have endeavored to create devices that significantly increase resistance for the sole purpose of building muscle and increasing strength, for instance, the inclined sit-up bench that forces the exerciser to start the sit-up with their legs elevated higher than their shoulders. From this position, the exerciser must work harder to accomplish a sit-up since they must first raise their shoulders to the level of their hips, then continue the exercise until their elbows touch their elevated knees.
For those trying to create shapely abdominal muscles, this exercise increases the resistance so that the exerciser accomplishes more work with each sit-up repetition compared to performing sit-ups on a horizontal surface. However, this position puts additional pressure on the spine and lower back of the exerciser, can cause injury, and most importantly, can further damage an already injured back of a person trying to recover from a previous injury.
By comparison, a Pilates reformer used for therapeutic rehabilitation does not have inclines thereby ameliorating the injury-inducing position of the popularized inclined sit-up bench. Between the intensity-increasing apparatuses found worldwide in muscle-building gyms, such as the inclined sit-up bench, and the smooth resistance-inducing apparatuses such as horizontal Pilates reformers, there is a demand and need for a novel and improved apparatus that provides for devices and methods that allow precise control of inclination, exercise resistance, and biomechanical positioning on the device to reduce the incidence of injury, and to conduct fitness training or therapeutic exercises on targeted muscles to aid in faster muscle development, or safer, accelerated injury recoveries.
It is well known to those skilled in the art that exercising against resistance stimulates muscle development. Weight-bearing exercises or resistance training reduces blood glucose, increases brain activity, reduces visceral fat and strengthens muscle fibers. On the other hand, improperly training with weights can damage joints, muscles and connective tissue. Resistance is introduced into exercise a number of ways. One example is the exerciser's own body weight (BW). When performing a pull-up or chin-up using a horizontal bar, the exerciser pulls their BW upward until their chin touches the bar. This is a difficult exercise, and many people cannot perform even one repetition, since their BW exceeds the muscle-pulling capability of their arms.
Another method of introducing resistance is the introduction of weights, such as dumbbells, barbells, or weight machines. The exerciser can select weights light enough to accomplish multiple repetitions. However, the risk of injuring muscles is very high without the requisite training on precise body positioning prior to lifting the weights. Form and proper weight all must converge to safely perform an exercise with heavy weights. Another problem with the use of weights when performing exercises on one major muscle group is the inability to eliminate stresses on muscles, joints or connective tissue that may be injured, and therefore require less beneficial training against significantly reduced weight.
Yet another method of introducing resistance to an exercise regimen on a horizontal Pilates apparatus is to attach springs or resistance bands between one stationary end of the apparatus and a slidable carriage. As the carriage is slid away from the stationary end, the springs or resistance bands stretch, thereby inducing a resistance that an exerciser must overcome by force in order to continue sliding the carriage away from the stationary end. The amount of resistance can be increased or decreased by adding or removing a number of springs or resistance bands connected between the carriage and stationary end. On a horizontal Pilates apparatus, the carriage supports substantially all of the exerciser's BW allowing the precise resistance to be introduced only to the muscles or muscle groups targeted by an exerciser or physiotherapist, thereby minimizing exposure of injured muscles, joints or connective tissue to excessive resistance.
Further, during any given exercise routine, and exerciser typically changes from a first exercise to a second exercise after completing the appropriate repetitions of the first exercise. This can be generally accomplished by two methods: changing positions to a completely different exercise, or increasing the resistance of a given exercise between sets of repetitions. A classic example of the later is an exerciser performing 10 repetitions of bicep curls using 10 pound dumbbells. After a minute rest, they repeat the 10 repetitions with 20 pound dumbbells, and after another minute of rest, completing a third set of 10 repetitions using 30 pound dumbbells.
A foundational tenet of the Pilates method is to always keep the body centered and balanced, minimize strain on muscles, connective tissue or joints, and induce a resistance force into an exercise. In this regard, it is well known that strain on the spine can be realized even when performing exercises on a horizontal Pilates apparatus, even though the exerciser's BW is fully supported by the apparatus.
Those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate the need for a novel an improved Pilates apparatus that can be inclined to substantially reduce strain on the spine and other joints, while at the same time combines particular features that allow for resistance to be simultaneously drawn from multiple sources such as springs, resistance bands or weights, plus all or a portion of the exerciser's own BW. Such a device would allow a trainer or physiotherapist to adjust the angle of inclination of a Pilates apparatus relative to the horizontal to decrease biomechanical forces acting on injured or injury-prone joints and tissue during exercise.
It will also be appreciated that an inclined Pilates apparatus would provide for increasing or decreasing a contributed portion of BW as a resistance source during an exercise by adjusting the angle of the apparatus in such a manner that when the longitudinal axis of the apparatus is in a horizontal position, the exerciser is exercising only against the resistance bands, and as one end of the longitudinal axis of the apparatus is elevated towards a vertical position, the exerciser is realizing a resistance of the resistance bands plus a controlled portion of their BW.
Changing the level of resistance during an exercise routine on a Pilates apparatus, for the purpose of engaging different muscles, increasing or decreasing exercise intensity and reducing strain and injury of joints and connective tissue, by means of engaging multiple resistance sources, is not known to have previously been accomplished, although the need to safely modify body position and exercise intensity during a session is well known by those skilled in physical conditioning and rehabilitation methods.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved adjustable exercise system for adjusting an exercise machine such as a Pilates machine between various angles of incline with respect to a fixed base to allow for a wider range of exercises.